Decision-Making through Pro/Contra Argumentation
When making a decision, two (or more) options are weighed against each other. The standard situation is that there is not enough time available for a decision to gather all information for an optimal decision (see Heuristics). A pragmatic approach to making the most objective decision in a time-efficient manner in this standard situation is pro/contra argumentation.
Two-Sided Format
In a discussion with a large number of arguments, keeping track of the overview is often difficult for the participants. Especially when the arguments support different theses and it is not clearly apparent which decision they actually support.
To gain a good overview of the arguments presented, it is helpful and effective to first put the pending decision into a two-sided format, so that each argument can be assigned to the decision option it supports.
Example
Thesis: For students, it would be advantageous if they were to take a part-time job in the afternoon.
Counter-thesis: For students, it would be disadvantageous if they were to take a part-time job in the afternoon.
The arguments presented then refer either to the thesis or to the counter-thesis.
Pro/Contra Argumentation
In pro/contra argumentation, the counter-thesis is, so to speak, saved/skimped on. Instead, one argues either for (pro) or against (contra) the validity of the presented thesis. A 2-column table is used for this. In the left column, arguments speak for the validity of the thesis, and in the right column, arguments speak against the thesis (or for the counter-thesis). Any number of arguments can be listed in each column underneath each other.
Example
Thesis: Students should have the option to take a part-time job.
| PRO-Justifications | CONTRA-Justifications |
|---|---|
| With a part-time job, students earn their own money and learn to handle it responsibly. | Part-time jobs are additional commitments and have a negative impact on the completion of homework. |
| Many students save the money they earn to fulfill larger wishes themselves. This teaches them to pursue long-term goals. | Students are children/adolescents and should spend their free time on social activities or creative pursuits rather than menial part-time jobs. |
To arrive at a sound decision, the pro and contra columns are sorted so that the strong arguments are at the top and the weaker ones are at the bottom. In the RulesFinder, the sorting of the list is done by user rating. Now the most important pro and contra arguments can be compared directly, and one quickly gains an objectively well-founded overview of which side is likely to prevail.
A pro/contra argumentation is used, ...
- to simplify the formulation and justification of theses and counter-theses
- to achieve a better overview and comparability of the arguments
- and ultimately to facilitate the decision.